What a book... What a man...
So those who don’t know, This book is an autobiography of Shri Surendra Mohanty (21 June 1922 - 21 December 1990), who is well known for his literary contribution to Odia literature and was the recipient of the Central Sahitya Academy Award for his novel Nilashaila (my personal favorite is Niladri Bije though). Apart from being an excellent author, he was a 4-time member of parliament and a pioneer of Odia print media.Prior to this reading, my impression of the author was all about his wonderful ability to unfold the medieval Odisha with the finest clarity and give the reader the luxury of epic visualization through his narratives.But this is so more than that. A born rebel who second his instincts above everything, A distinctive Politician who repudiate to follow the so-called big elephant rather stand by his dignity (he made Pandit Nehru apologize once), A great Newspaper Editor who refused to scramble to every dishonesty around him ( Janata, Kalinga, Sambada, etc) and One of the brightest Odia in the post-independence era.
This book gives a clear picture of not only Odisha’s political scenarios with respect to various timelines but also the cultural differences as well. Many unknown stories of the greats like Pandit Nehru to Biju Pattnaik to Dr. Radhakrishnan to H. Mahatab to Indira Gandhi, Nandini Satpathi, Soumya Ranjan Pattanayak, JB Pattnaik, and many more..... you will find them all. Not just a must-read for every Odia, But it's a shame if an Odia is not introduced or not interested in a masterpiece like this.I humbly appeal to all the foreign literature enthusiastic Odias who choose a Salman Rushdie or a Anna Burns over A Pratibha Ray or a Manoj Das to give it a try. And trust me this alienation of our own literal property is a much more serious issue than getting or not getting the GI tag of Rasagola. you need Odia literature as much as it needs you back.
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| Patha O Pruthibee |
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| Patha O Pruthibee |